PARADE OF SHADES
by Kogeki
Summary: He never have thought this mission in the World of the Living will take so long. Neither did he imagined meeting a Kurosaki girl with a potential. This complicated things more than he was willing to admit. Like his after-life wasn't complicated enough...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys!**

**I really want you to read this story again, because I re-edited it and it's 100% better now, I promise.**

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**CHAPTER 1**

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Akon from Shinigami Research and Development Institute of 12th Division after hearing the alarm, came to the lab probably as fast as Yoruichi Shihoin herself.

He read screen statement twice and then once again to make sure it wasn't some kind of sick joke. Considering that the only ones, who had access to the lab were Rin, Hiyosu, Kuna and Torue. They were people he trusted with his life, but knew they weren't bright enough to fool him like that. And Nemu and Captain Kurotsuchi's sense of humor was below twenty precent, so yeah.

It meant trouble, and in case of trouble always go to one person you can dump those problems. In this case – on Captain Genryusai Yamamoto.

This one time he regreted working by the desk in the lab his whole life, he clearly forgot how to propeply use shunpo and how much strenght in takes.

By the time he stood before the door to 1st Division, he could barely catch his breath.

After the voice from inside told him to come in, the door opened to dimness and absoulute silence. Akon ran his fingers through his sweaty dark locks, corrected his white laboratory coat and tried to maintain composure. Even if the papers placed messily in his pocket could make all of them grab their heads in dimsay, it still was the Captains' Meeting he was interrupting.

Well, manners were the last thing he rather do then, but years of living in the Soul Society taught him one thing – Genryusai Yamamoto was an grumpy old gentleman, who thought only about manners and a tea.

Right now, at the end of the carpet he looked suprised and pissed – a mix Akon preyed he would not see again directed at him.

„What is that important, combatant, to interrupt our Captains' Meeting?"

Akon cleared his throat, remembering that other captains were also in the room with them.

„I'm sorry, Head-Captain, but it's the matter of the utmost importance and it can't wait." He pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch attached to the wrist. „Precisely four minutes and twenty five seconds ago we received an alarm from the device that records af the Hollows' activity in Karakura Town in the World of the Living..."

Mention of Kurosaki Ichigo's hometown got their interest.

„And what about that?" Head-Captain asked, knowing fully well that he isn't waiting for any good news.

„Hollows... they... multiply themselfs. Very, very fast. And if we consider all the records from the last three months, there are now nine times more Hollows in Karakura than before. Compared to the statistics of the Madarame and Ayasegawa's investigation about disappearing souls in the Rukongai and the Soul Burials in the Karakura and any presence of the souls and humans..."

Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the 10th Division had enough of that unintelligible gibberish.

„What's your point, combatant?", he asked slightly irked.

Akon sighed, defeated. That's why he worked in Shinigami Research and Development Institute. There was no need to talk to others, much less explain them something they will never understand.

He looked at his captain with hopeful eyes. „Captain, you know what's going on, right? Can you explain it the way they all understand?"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri waited patiently for this moment, having more or less idea what his 3rd Seath had been raving about.

„Ah, yes, you foolish creatures need simple words... Seems like disappearing souls from Rukongai are connected to the World of the Living. Hollows in Karakura don't have many souls to eat lately, which I've been telling you for weeks now, and they're starting to get more hungry. We did nothing long enough, only waiting until their spiritual preassure will get to the point that they'll start to attack humans. But, of course, I am able to prevent this".

„What do you suggest we do then, Captain Kurotsuchi?"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri took one step forward, not caring in the slightest he didn't ask for permission to do so.

„I suggest to send a research group to Karakura town with Captain Hitsugaya as the lider", he said simply.

Old man brows rose in curiosity. „Why captain of the 10th Division?"

„Normally, I wouldn't trust anyone to do research mission without my supervision, but as I need to stay here, I think Captain Hitsugaya will be the best choice. So far he is the only plausible choice I'd agree. I don't trust any other od these fools to actually have some idea about research and not destroying every opportunity to get potential samples, because of their recklessness. And, frozen by his zanpakto, samples will help me solve the problem."

Head-Captain nodded, „Do you have any objections, Captain Hitsugaya?"

Captain of the 10th Division shook his head and he turned to Kurotsuchi. „What do you need?", he asked, voice calm and cold as always.

„Hollow's soul and whichever soul from Karakura, for sure. And any anomality in reiatsu of humans you can get would be nice. Try to check Kurosaki Ichigo's dummies, he calls his 'friends'. Everything may be caused by variations in reiatsu in the World of the Living and we know by now, if something bad is happening there, it probably have something to do with that boy. My division will examine samples of the souls from Rukongai collected by Ayasegawa and Madarame." After a short pause he added, „Take those two with you, Captain Hitsugaya."

Kurotsuchi turned to Head-Captain once again. Only Akon could see slight frown of worry on his captain's features. „Can I take care of more important things now or you have some other task for me, Head-Captain Yamamoto?"

„No, I have not. You and your subordinate are dismissed"

Shinigami in the mask turned to exit the room, and Akon, before he followed, said, „I'll inform Madrame and Ayasegawa to join Captain Hitsugaya at the Senkaimon. I also will try to contact Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia to stop looking for Eltracto and come to the Karakura town as fast as they can. Kurosaki have to know what's going on in his city".

Captain and his subordinate from 12th Division left the room.

Head-Captain Yamamoto tapped his cane against the floor, then spoke, „As you heard we have a matter, as in Soul Society and in World of the Living. You must swear me you'll do everything you need to don't let this information leave this room. Captain Kurotsuchi will take care of analyzing those matters, but we, first of all, need to maintain peace in our world."

Captains swore in unison, palms spread on chest just below the heart.

Yamamoto continued, „We'll create two teams that will take care of the problems. The first group, led by Captain Hitsugaya, is designed to go to Karakura and provide samples Captain Kurotsuchi needs. You will carefuly observe the entire city. If it has something to do with Kurosaki Ichigo, let us know imediately. Captain Hitsugaya?"

Hitsugaya Toshiro knelt in front of the Yamaoto Genryusai. „Yes, Head-Captain?"

„Do you understand how serious is your mission? Do you know we can't waste more time?"

„Yes, Head-Captain", was all Hitsugaya said.

„Decide now who will go with you to the World of the Living. I hope you'll station at Inoue Orihime's apartment, I want you to be able to communicate with Soul Society. You have my permission to as for help of Urahara Kisuke. But be careful what you're saying in his presence. Let him know only things he needs to know, nothing more. As well as with Kurosaki Ichigo, when he arrives."

„Of course, Head-Captain. I'll take Madarame and Ayasegawa with me, as Captain Kurotsuchi and his suordinate requested. I rather want to have with me my Lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku. I think also of Lieutenant of the 6th Division, Abarai Renji. He knows Karakura town well, better than any of us, and he's a friend to Kurosaki. I'm sure his knowledge will be useful. Of course if Captain Kuchiki's agreeing for this."

„I agree", said Captain of the 6th Division without a single glance in Hitsugaya's direction.

„So it's decided. Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Abarai Renji, Matsumoto Rangiku and Kuchiki Rukia are now on your command, Captain Hitsugaya. Go immediately. You are dismissed."

When Hitsugaya Toshiro left the room, he heard only few next word from Head-Captain Yamamoto, „Second group will patrol Soul Society. Captain Sui-Feng, I hope your division will take care of that..."

Captain of the 10th Division sighed deeply, it turned out he won't take that planned day off to visit his grandmother in Rukongai this week. Nor another.

Matsumoto will be disappointed that the captain did't have time for a day off, but he had a feeling she'd be delighted to hear that they're going to Karakura again.

He, on that matter, wasn't even in the slightest happy about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Bleach.**

**And I edited this chapter, so please, read it again!**

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**CHAPTER 2**

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Karin could see them. All of them.

Maybe it had something to do with a not-so-clear memory of a big house in the woods, where she and the rest greeted Ichigo and the other man with so much sympathy she never even thought she could muster. That time always come to her kind of blurry, but she was damn sure someone messed up with her head and she couldn't forget about that.

Even if the others did.

That was the weirdest thing. She herself could barely remember anything from that missing two hours, but she _did_ know something was wrong. But Yuzu or her brother's friends... they all seem to know nothing about some residence in the woods and claimed they never been at one – she know, she asked and they weren't such a good liars as they thought they are.

For example, Karin quickly noticed, when they found out about Ichigo's true identity. They were always creepy in some way, that's for sure, but then they started to act even creepier – if that's possible. She just knew what was going on. Knowledge always changed things.

She had to admit she was still green on that matter, but she thought it had something to do with her high level of reiatsu or spiritual power, you name it. Right now it was her only explanation. She stopped thinking about the missing two hours of her memory, until she knew something else.

Maybe she'll convince that Madhatter to tell her a few secrets – he tend to do that, when she was visiting him. He'd always say something important, barely slip of a tongue, but for Karin, it's another piece of the puzzle fell right into its place.

What she didn't know was to how to stop her headaches. Urahara's anti-ghosts specifics worked well, hiding her reiatsu from wandering souls and spirits – usually perverts, whining teenagers or grumpy old men. But from some time her headaches started to gain strenght.

And she felt better two years later, not knowing what they meant.

They were sudden and painful, but not like the one that afternoon after school. There was throbbing pain, like her brain was teared to shredds, her knees barely held up her body. Somehow her lungs refused to obey her, as if they had forgotten that she needed to breathe.

Some old lady in the park asked her, if everything was alright, but Karin knew better.

She knew what was coming. And it was angrier, hungrier and more powerful than everything that she ever felt.

She wanted... she _really_ wanted to run. Run as fast as possible out of that place. And she was quite a runner, so it wouldn't be a problem.

A problem was, however, that the knowledge changed things and now, while she knew about Hollows, more than ever she felt responsible for every wandering spirit she refused to see. Because not every one of them was annoying and stupid. There were diffrent kind of souls – she knew that much.

And the one nearby – who'd be Hollow's next meal, if she wouldn't do something about it – was a man in a suit, who didn't know he died. But clearly, from police tapes to crowd of onlookers gathered before them, Karin concluded the man died in the car crash.

So Karin sprinted in that direction, praying that this idiot Afro-san will take down a Hollow and soon, while she'd make sure the spirit in the suit was safe.

She couldn't help but wonder, if Ichigo was also like that – helping people, even if he knew he wasn't strong enough. She knew very well that her brother always had a hero complex. He kept saying that he has to fight, has to protect. He had been seeing ghosts from the young age – much younger than her, when she first saw a soul. What did he do, when he saw or felt someone was in danger?

Well, he always was and idiot, so probably just come to the resque, putting himself in the danger with no thought. Now he was a shinigami, so he could do things like saving people or protecting them...

But Karin?

What was she? Barely a human, who after years of seeing souls, finally accepted their exsistence. See and save are two diffrent words she tried not to confuse, like her brother did. She didn't even know how to save people, so how could she save a spirit, no less?

What of her rational mind in case of danger she have been braging about? First thing she thought was that she couldn't leave the ghost alone. Not because her brother woyld do the same, but when she was the only one, who knew what's going on, she was also the only person, who could help. Even if it'd be a human or it'd be a teeny-tiny chance she'd help, she wouldn't hesitate.

Oh God, maybe she had a hero complex, too.

You know, what is the most irrating sound in the world? Chalk on a blackboard. That how she felt when she got used to the presence of this particular Hollow. That's how she know the monster was somewhere near, but out of her sight.

The spirit was a tall man in a suit with greasy black hair, who didn't quite know what was going on around him. He peered on his watch from time to time and once in a while looked around. Karin saw his confussion and suppressed anger, but approached him anyway.

She smiled her most innocent Yuzu-like smile, which she mastered long time ago and usually used for teachers.

„Excuse me, is everything okay? Are you waiting for someone?"

The man looked at her from head to toe with critical eyes, then, noting that it was just some schoolgirl in an uniform, he snapped, „ Yeah, so what? Someone asked for me?"

It was her chance.

„Well, yes," she answered simply. „So we have to go now."

Karin grabbed his hand, but he quickly snatched it back.

„ And why is that? I wait here for someone. And if you're Suzuki's employee, then walk away now, before I get upset. And you don't want to see me getting upset. I don't have time for playing with little kids."

Karin gritted her teeth, when the words 'little' and 'kid' left his moth, but she threw away her pride and she said as calm as she could, „Calm down, sir. I was told that in a few minutes you'll be meeting my boss, who, unfortunately, can't be here today. I'll take you, sir, to the Mrs. Masashi who came instead. She's waiting in a caffe just around the corner."

Lying always have been easy for Karin. Even too easy sometimes. But right now her palms started to get sweaty and she was fidgeting – a visible signs of a liar.

„Ah," sighed the spirit in the suit confused. „I'm sorry, then. I didn't know Suzuki had so..." he send her another critical glance, „young. I'm Souji, young lady. And you?"

She shook her hand with his, before she managed to wipe her sweaty hand on that stupid short skirt of hers. „Karin. Just Karin", she said quickly, pulling him in the opposite direction of the source of her headaches. „We should go, then. Mrs. Masashi awaits you, sir"

The man resisted at first, but then agreed and started to follow Karin. Then came the roar, so primal and monstrous, she wished she'd be deff. She gritted her teeth from sudden pain, but she ignored it. She won't stop, no matter what.

„You heard that, Karin?", the spirit asked, voice strained, looking around. „What was that? Did someone else heard it?"

_Of course not. They can't hear it,_ she thought.

„I don't know what you talking about, sir." she said. „We should go now"

„Someone could get hurt, but they don't reacting! What's with all those people...", he murmured to himself and quickly pulled away from Karin's grip. She didn't have time to react, when he started to walk in the lion's mouth.

„Wait! Stop!"

When he realized Karin started to chase him, he began to run and to say he was incredibly fast was and understatement.

„I don't know who you are, but leave me alone! I don't know Mrs. Masashi! You're lying!"

Karin fell down on her knees, holding her head in her hands, finally giving up to the pain. It was too close. She was too close to it to even think straight.

She summed it up in one word, „Shit."

The sky parted, and the Hollow emerged from the abyss, taking slow steps forward. Souji, the spirit in the suit, stopped in his tracks, taking the full view of the monster in front of him.

Karin have seen something like this before, that one time at Urahara's. She came, as always, for anti-ghosts supplies, small-talk with Madhatter himself and maybe some clues where Ichigo was. But the shop was dead silent and peacful – something she've never experience in that place. There were always some people, Jinta screaming and swearing or Urahara's loud laugh. Inside, Karin reached one room, where the lights were on and the door was open and the image of the same monster was on screen.

Just like this one right now it had a white mask with an elongated nose. It body was covered from head to feat with a black covering reminiscent of a cloak. Around its neck was a row of thin white spikes. It also had large, pointed feet wrapped in white bandages and large white hands with long, sharp, white nails, but once it stopped moving, it was hidden within its cloak.

But one and foremost – it had almost 60 feet tall. And no one could see it.

Karin ignored the pain and came up to Souji. He fell to the ground and was unable to move. He was murmuring to himself something incomprehensible. She squeezed his arm to bring him back to the living, but he fell into trance. The one thing he cared about was Hollow and how it came to destroy him.

„Come... on..." she tried to pull him back, but to no avail.

Karin fel the sharp pain in her brain and she knew something bad was gonna happen. They should get the hell away from there. At as the pain increased Hollow opened its mouth. Dark red energy started to form at his tongue and Karin knew they're screwed.

She covered Souji with her body, letting her schoolbag fall on the ground. She didn't know what that large kind of hollow was capable of, so she decided to stay put.

She had an idea.

Stupid and reckless idea, but they wouldn't have time to run away anyway, so that was the only option.

So far everything worked great. She had some freaking magical powers and she was human. There was pretty good chance that whatever Hollow preparing – blast of energy or some other shit – won't work on her. Why would it? She was as human as old lady from the flower store nearby, but her energy got her back. Maybe she'd finally put it to good use.

She got this. She'd protect that ass, Souji, even if he didn't deserved it, because that what the Kurosakis do – they don't back off, no matter what.

Oh, how much she envied Ichigo's super-powers right now.

The beam of ligh, however, never came.

Karin opened one eye to see red everywhere. It surrounded them, but didn't hurt.

She breathed a sigh on relief, only to see a figure standing before her, back and hair white as snow, with only a plus or number 10 painted on it. Hope that it might be her brother consumed her, until she realised how short was this man. It couldn't be her brother.

Red slowly disapeared, and the man – a shinigami for sure – lowered his katana.

„Look out!" she yelled, as Hollow's hand appeared right above their heads, ready do squash the shinigami.

She heard him murmuring something she didn't quite understand, „Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru."

Karin shivered. Maybe because of his voice, smooth and silky, but cold nonetheless. Maybe because the air around them felt like in a winter, even if it was May.

Without much of a trouble, the shinigami stabbed Hollow in the hand. All his arm was covered in ice and – maybe she was dellusional – but he had a nice pair of wings, too. And probably she was dellusional, because with one swift montion of his katana, the ice dragon twisted around Hollow and squashed him like a bug, only tiny pieces of ice were the only proof that monster ever existed.

Then, he spun around on his heel, facing her. He looked like he was going to say something, but she was the first with a thousand-watt smile.

„You were sooo cool."

She patted him on the head, midly suprised his white hair is so soft. Then, she fainted.

The things she remembered was his heavy sigh and a shout sounding like „Matsumoto, take care of the soul, I'll take the girl. Urahara got some explaining to do."

Oh, and pair of strong arms lifting her up from the ground.

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**It's much better now, huh? Diffrent, yes. But good? You tell me! Please, read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Please know, that I don't own Bleach, but I really love Karin x Hitsugaya, so I edited this story and took another path in it, and I really hope you enjoy it.**

**Politness off, chapter go.**

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**CHAPTER 3**

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Urahara Kisuke greeted Captain of 10th Division with his goofy smile, which almast imediately faltered, when he saw who Hitsugaya was holding in his arms.

Worry crossed his face. He led captain to one of the spare rooms and pointed a futon. Hitsugaya carefully placed the girl in it. He didn't notice before, but her knees were cowered in dirt, same as her navy blue skirt revealing her milky white legs. Also the top of her uniform was so short it left her flat stomach bare the entire time he's been holding her.

If Hitsugaya once thought Kurosaki's school uniform looked like the most stupid outfit he've ever seen, he disagreed now. Wearing this piece of clothing was probably a nightmare.

„What happened?" Urahara asked.

Hitsugaya gave him a cold look. „You tell me. I came to this city two hours ago and already I took down one Menos and two Hollows, but what I didn't expect was this."

Urahara giggled behind his spread fan. „A girl got you bothered, young captain? Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

„Don't fool around, Hatter. I want to know, how do you know this girl? I have a feeling she has something to do with you."

„Me? Why?"

„Because the last time a human with so high spirital energy became a shinigami with your help."

„Well, I can't argue with that. But before that, would you like some tea? And biscuits, maybe? Tessai-san, Captain Hitsugaya is here!"

When the large man left the room, after brewing them tea, they sit at the opposide ends of the table. The girl still unconcious.

Hitsugaya once in a while glanced at her sleeping form, wondering how the hell did he put himself into that mess. He sighed, turning to Hatter. „Who is she, Urahara? The girl who foolishly thought she can hold her own against a Menos."

„My, my..." the shop owner murmured, impressed. „That's a new one. But you wouldn't be suprised knowing, who she is."

„That's why I'm here."

„But first, tell me what happened? I really wanna know what she did this time and if I should add fighting a Menos to the list."

Hitsugaya didn't trust this man in the slightest, but he began his story anyway.

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Karin woke up to the sound of Jinta's screams, inults and threats. Ururu and Tessai probably came up with some new punishment for being rude. Tickling feet with feather already got old, because Jinta didn't laugh and shout as loud as he used to.

Karin got up with a small smile, shaking her head. No matter how long it had been, they were always acting like that.

Then it dawned on her, why she was even there, to begin with.

Her head didn't hurt now, just a foggy memory of pain. Her knees were dirty and she was still in her stupid school uniform. Everything from her headache to her fainting – yes, she fainted like some wimp, but whatever – was clear, but how she got to Urahara's, she had no idea.

She took her bad from the table – she didn't got any idea who placed it there. When she moved the door open, the screams stopped.

„Oy, Karin, you sleeping bitch, come here and help me!" Jinta's voice was muffled by the dirty sock that was in his mouth.

It turned out that he was hanged upside down and tied that he couldn't move. Ururu was kneeling beside him, holding headphones on his ears. Karin really didn't wanted to know what they made him listen on that thing.

„You can't be so rude to Karin-chan," Ururu increased the volume and Jinta's screamed again.

Karin ignored them. She knew better not to engage in their idea of 'fun'. Well, she greeted Ururu first, but then she left the corridor.

„Don't mind them, Karin-dono." Tessai came out of nowhere. „Please, sit with us. Would you want some tea?"

„No, thanks."

She followed him to the room where Urahara was quietly sipping his favourite green tea. His smile brightened instantly, when he saw her. „Oh, Kurosaki-san, how nice to see you consious."

Karin scratched her head.

„Well, about that... I don't really know what..."

„I'm here to please. What do you want to know?"

He patted the spot beside him, but she choose the one at the other end of the table.

„First of all, how did I get there? And what happened to that Hollow?" She snapped her fingers, remembering the most important thing. „And who was that shinigami back there with so freaking cool ice powers?"

The Hatter showed her his widest shit-eating grin. „I'm sure he'd be pleased to hear that, Kurosaki-san. I actually think you should tell him when the chance comes by."

„He's still here, then?"

„In fact, yes, he is. Not here in the shop, of course, but in town. Why? Interested?" He asked, clearly enjoying this.

But she had other things in mind to answer to his childish teasing. She didn't even remember how that shinigami looked like. Well, beside his hair. She remembered his white hair, so she guested he had to be some short old man.

„One of Ichi-ni's friends, then?"

„He – not really. The rest of them – quite really."

„So there's the others?"

„I neved said that."

„Yes, yes, you did."

He smiled lazilly, raising his hands in surrender. „You got me."

„So... for how long?"

Urahara shook his head. „Days, weeks, months... who know? I don't. But what I know is that the administration in Soul Society is quite awful. Don't ever try to negotiate banishment with them, they'll bury you under a pile of paperwork and leave you to die."

She nodded, absent-mindedly. „So they're some big fishes, huh?"

He smiled cheerfuly. „The bigest."

„Is Ichi-ni coming?" She was glas her voice didn't betray her hope.

Urahara covered his face with a fan, but she still could see seriousness creeping in his eyes, even the smile didn't falter. „I suposse that's something you need to ask our shinigami friends."

Karin sighed, uneasy. So his friend came here, but her stupid ass brother couldn't? How uncool was that?

„Where are they, then?" She really needed to know what the fuck was going on right now. And the Madhatter won't say her anything useful, he was tongue-tied. She got to get to the source of it – shinigamis from Soul Society.

„They patrolling the city now, I think. But don't worry, they're taking shifts. I don't know who is free now, but we can easily find out."

„Don't bother. I'm going home now."

She had too much action for one day. Maybe, someday later she'd talk to them. Yeah, someday sounded fine.

She turned to leave, bag on on one shoulder, thoughts far far away. Madhatter suggested to escort her to the exit.

When they were outside, he spoke again, „You should definitely drop by tomorrow."

„Why?" Karin frowned.

„You might find some answers. Besides, that would be the best lesson I've ever taught you."

„You didn't taught mi anything."

„If you say so," He said with a sing-song voice.

* * *

When Karin opened the door, something big was falling on her and it didn't have good intentions. In short, it was her stupid old man, who greeted her like that, since Ichigo was gone.

But, unlike in her brother's case, she got some head-ups in the form of a shout, „Goood eeveniiing, Kaaarin!"

Karin's fist immediately landed in her father's face. „Why are you always so freaking creepy, Goatee?"

„Karin! How could you?"he cried, holding his nose. „You hurt your precious papa. What would you do, if papa's nose would become concave, and it would stay like that forever? Would you like to have the papa with a concave face?"

Karin rolled her eyes. She didn't punched him _that_ hard. „Well, concave or not, you're still an idiot,. Who has ever seen a grown man attacking his daughter without a reason?" Karin sighed, putting a plastic bag of groceries on the kitchen table. She cleared her mind by stopping by the _real_ store.

Next to the table Yuzu was washing the dishes. „Hey, Yu."

„Karin-chan! You finally found time to buy vegetables and pasta I've been you for days. I'm so glad! I should get down to cooking." she said with ever present enthusiasm. She smiled with that angelic face of hers and started looking for a pot, humming a lively song.

„Yuuuzuu!" Isshin entered the kitchen, holding his nose with a handkerchief. Karin saw trickle of blood on his fingers. She knew it – she didn't punch that hard, so his injure wasn't bad. He just needed to be th drama queen.

„Yuuzuu! Your sister's always punching her papa! And she keeps saying it's nothing, pretending anything happened! And she wasn't at home all day, so papa just wanted to tell her he missed her and hug her!"

„Not gonna happen, old man" Karin snorted. Her father was acting like a child, but for good reason. He was worried. Yuzu probably, too.

God, maybe it's the time. The time she was starting to become Ichigo 2.0.

Hell no.

Yuzu didn't know how to respond, so she smiled in that sweet confused manner. „Probably Karin-chan's just very tired, papa."

„Good, then! Tiredness shows that we didn't waste a day. Karin, my dear beloved, but so very difficult daughter, how was your day? Are you gonna tell your old papa where have you been?"

„Nope."

„Come on, Karin-chan. Are you gonna tell your old papa and cute sister where have you been?" Yuzu joined Isshin and both of them were looking at Karin like some lost puppies. They were so annoying, but Karin couldn't resist any longer.

Damn puppy eyes and why the hell, Yuzu got the good tricks in this family?

„After school I just met with some friends, okay? The end. It wasn't so interesting, was it?"

„With friends... or a friend? Maybe the special friend?" Yuzu teased, peppering curry with spices Karin buyed.

„But you didn't take your soccer ball from your room" added Isshin.

„How did you kn...? Whatever. I didn't need a ball, I wasn't playing soccer today. Just hanging out."

„That's wonderful!"

„What's so wonderful, papa?" Yuzu asked. She and Karin exchanged glances, not knowing why their father was so happy.

„My sweet Karin-chan didn't play soccer with that mini skirt she usually wears to school!"

She throwed a pillow from the couch on him, yelling. „You perverted Goatee! Do you really think I;m so stupid? And it's called school uniform, for you information."

He grabbed a pillow before it reached his face. „Papa don't want you to be a sexual object. Boys these days can be really... and... Do you remember the time, when you was a little and you wanted papa only for yourself? It was sooo cuuute!" Isshin cried, fake tears running down his cheeks, and he was hugging the pillow.

„Oh, it had to be so cuuute!" Yuzu joined.

„You were so cuuute too, Yuzu."

„Really? That's great!"

„Call me, if you'll get your brains back." Karin snorted, getting up from the couch. She walked towards the stairs, but Isshin grabbed her hand in the last moment with fake tears of sadness.

But then his face became serious, and only Karin could see it. „Karin, why are you so cold?" He placed his hand on her forehead, checking the temperature. She was so suprised she didn't move. „Are you weakened? You caught a cold?"

„Not your bussines, Goatee" she answered, snatching her hand from his grasp. While moving up the stairs, she added, „It was cold outside."

„But it's twenty degrees" he murmured to himself, but no one could hear him.

* * *

**So, how did you liked it? Let me now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Bleach.**

**KARIN IS 16 IN THIS FANFIC (actually, on the verge 15/16). 13 isn't really good age with I wanna write later, so I have to bear it somehow, I guess. It's just teeny-tiny change, so it's okay, amiright?**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

* * *

Behind the door they heard screams and shouts, insults and threats thrown by Jinta to Ururu and Tessai. Urahara's workers always acted the same way, even after all those years, when Hitsugaya first met Hatter at The World of the Living.

White haired captain didn't say a word, instead sending a glares in a way of the shouts.

„Are they all right?" Matsumoto pointed to the door with worried look. She did it to calm her Captain, but screams were distracting her, too.

Urahara waved his hand with a fan, like it's no big deal. If he heard it everyday, it probably wasn't. „Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing. Jinta-san was rude to some of ours frequent customers and his friends. He wanted to smash one of their's head with a metal baseball bat, when the boy used a his move. Jinta-san need to learn to control his behavior, that's it."

Both shinigami of the 10th Division nodded at the answer.

„Anyway... How is our young Captain doing in our simple living world? By the way, Matsumoto-san, I know I say this every time, but you look especially beautiful today."

The lieutenant waved her hand, putting her hand on her cheek, as if she was delighted by the compliment, but kept a straight face. „Flatterer."

Urahara sat across from them at the other side of the table and also began to drink his green tea in a clay cup. „So how is your mission going? Anything and old hatter like me might help with?"

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. „My shift just ended, so if your promises from earlier are still valid, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

„I am to please."

„Just say what you already know about it all."

„Well it's not that hard to notice what's going on in this town, young Captain. Kurosaki-san contacted me last month. He told me about the disappearances of souls in Rukongai and asked to check, if eveything's all right with his family. I took the liberty to investigate the matter. And I've come to some interesting conclusions. Would you like to hear it?"

„You don't need to ask, if you're answering my question. What do you know?"

„I think that's sort of the chain. Everything has an impact on each other... Rukongai, Karakura, Hollows. Each new event affects another. We can compare this to the domino blocks. When one falls, the rest will fall, too. And just like dominoes it isn't a coincidence."

„Are you suggesting that someone's standing behind it?" Hitsugaya frowned.

„Exactly. I suggest to look in the Soul Society for the one's to blame. It most likely began there, and the World of the Living is only suffering the consequences."

„And the details?"

„Any at the moment." Urahara sighed. „Karakura is in danger once again, that's for sure. And I hope that you called Substitute Shinigami, because that's what he was supposed to do – look after his city."

„He will be here in a few days." Hitsugaya told him. He was lost in thought for a moment, then asked. „Do you think it might have something to do with him? Most of our mission here is caused by him."

„Of course there is a possibility."

„From the time Kurosaki regained his powers... Is there any chance that Fullbringers came back?"

„Do you really think so, captain? But we beat them last time." Matsumoto sounded surprised.

„I consider every possibility, Matsumoto."

„Fullbringers are the last thing we should be considering. Since Kugo Ginjo's and Tsukishima's death, each went their own way. Your former opponent, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, decided to go back to school and have a proper education. Since then he hasn't been doing anything would be considered dangerous for us. We don't know the position of others, though. Only that Jackie Tristan left the country."

„You have an eye on them, huh?" Hitsugaya sighed, annoyed of the mere mention of the kid, with whom he happened to fight during his previous visit to the World of the Living. What was his power? Ah, yes, virtual reality...

„Good memories?" Urahara chuckled. „We don't watch them for some time now. They returned to normal life, it's not worth the effort. I wondered if it's not about Arrancars. It would be quite possible, if not the fact that none of them had left Hueco Mundo for almost three years."

Hitsugaya nodded. He didn't even notice when the shouts behind the wall stopped. He realized only when he could clearily heard someone's footsteps coming their way.

Then Ayasegawa Yumichika went to the room followed by Abarai Renji, who had split lip and right eyebrow.

„Captain Hitsugaya." Both bowed their heads as a greeting.

„Ayasegawa, Abarai, what's wrong? Where's Madarame?" The captain raised an eyebrow in a questioning gesture.

„We have come to pass the report." Said Renji. „Ikkaku's patrolling the city and let us go first."

„He's waiting for another soul to get the sample for Captain Kurotsuchi." Yumichika explained, sighing. „He couldn't forgive himself that he didn't have enough time to save previous one."

„Eaten by a Hollow? For what reason he wasn't there on time?"

„Wasn't eaten, performed a Soul Burial." Renji corrected. „By Zennosuke Kurumadani, Karakura's guardian shinigami, which hasn't been informed of the situation. Don't worry, Captain, we explained it all and we can only hope that he'll stay out of our work."

„ Are you sure he understood the situation?"

„He babbled something about how he always finds out about eveyrhing last, but I think he got the message."

„Good. Anything else?"

Yumichika and Renji exchanged glances, and Tōshirō knew something was worng. He won't tolerate secrets on his mission.

„Tell me what's wrong or I'll find it out by myself."

„Well..." Ayasegawa began. „I don't really know if this can be considered useful information..."

„Each piece of information is worth its weight in gold. Even your own observations, combatant."

„Of course, Captain Hitsugaya. So, Ikkaku almost the entire time was in his gigai, patrolling the city from the ground. And then he saw that man, a mere human with some kind of spiritual energy. The odd thing was that a Hollow actually wanted to eat him. Wanted to eat... his energy, I don't know. When it failed and couldn't touch him, he..."

„He, what?"

„He went all berserk-like on him. Good Ikakku was there, because if it was someone with higher level of spiritual energy and it'd be bye, bye, sucker."

„We don't know what to think about it." Yumichika summed up, rubbing his temple with irrated sigh.

The captain of the 10th Division sent Renji single glance, seeing a cut lip and eyebrow.

„Captain?" Matsumoto started, uncertain of her captain silence.

He thought of _her_. He couldn't get her our of his head the whole day. It'd explain a lot, if Abarai and Ayasegawa were righ. But was it possible that Menos 'went all berserk-like' as Abarai put it, not on that soul, but on the girl herself? If the insatiable hunger was the issuse that'd mean every person with high spiritual energy are exposed to danger.

Not only they had to protect the souls, but the living, too now?

Not everyone, Hitsugaya reminded himself. Only the likes of the girl. But especially her.

Then, an odd thought came to him.

„Urahara."

„Yes?"

„Is it possible to find out, if some of the latest attacks occured with the presence of people of high spiritual energy?"

„Of course, but I need to borrow one of your subordinates to it. Abarai-kun, maybe?"

„Yes, sir."

When the two left the room, Hitsugaya spoke again, „Ayasegawa, get back to Madarame and tell him what we're going to do? Don't stop patrolling, until I give you specific order to do so."

„Yes, Captain Hitsugaya."

„And Matsumoto?"

„Yeah?"

„Check Kurosaki's friend and ask them a few questions. I have a feeling they might be useful."

„Right away, captain!" She sounded a little too much delighted about that.

His thoughts was interrupted by slamming doors and Jinta's shouts. „Hey! What, you think you can just come in here, bitch? No, Tessai... let go of me...! Ururu, you fuckin... I'll kill you...!"

Hitsugaya guessed it's time to think clearly about it in peace. He left the shop and sat at the porch, sighing heavily. Everything got more and more complicated.

He didn't even realised when his eyelids had fallen and subconsiously he decided a little nap will do him good.

* * *

**R&amp;R**

**You wanna know a secret?**

**1\. Karin and Toshiro gonna interact in next chapter (and it'll be a lot better than it this shit-chapters before edit). **

**2\. Do you like ma little intrigue and mystery?**

**3\. It's all about Karin, guys, even this mission, so stay with me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Bleach.**

**You waited long enough fot the decent chapter, so here it goes. Karin and Hitsugaya's little chat.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

* * *

Karin didn't know what to do with a man sleeping on Urahara's porch.

So she just took a step to have a closer look. He was the one, who saved her yesterday. He had to be. White hair she confused earlier with old man's were attached to incredibly young face. His crossed arms and stiff posture wasn't that odd considering who he was. He wore the same outfit Ichi-ni and Afro-san wore, a shinigami uniform.

With eyes closed and peacful expression he looked so boyish. If she haven't see him earlier fighting a Hollow, she'd take him for an ordinary guy, around her age.

To think from the blank memory of his hair, she thought he was some old man.

When he moved, though, she wasn't so sure anymore. How much she wanted to look for any signs of normalcy, there weren't many. There was something about him that made her back off with her judgments just yet. This strange aura of maturity.

„I can hear you."

When the words fell from his lips, he opened his eyes, not moving an inch.

Seeing those turquose orbs, she felt the need to back off. She quickly fought off the urge. „Why didn't you say so?"

„You'd stop staring at me, then?" He raised his white eyebrow in question.

„No, but I'd be more discreet about it." She shot back, then watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened. „The Madhatter had some business with me. Is he here?"

„He's busy."

The boy stood up abruptly and whisk away invisible dust from his black kimono.

Karin had some idea, why Urahara wanted her to come there. To have some answers. And she wasn't going to waste it, letting the boy go back to the shop.

„You're the one, who saved me, right?" She asked, already knowing the answer. „What's your name again? It skipped my mind."

„Maybe because I never gave it to you."

She grinned. „But you were going to."

The boy sighed and Karin was pleased with herself. She won. „Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro."

_That's one hell of a long name_, she thought. Then, it occured to her with whom she just been having a conversation with. She knew shinigamis were some kind of elite, but a freaking captain? _You've got to be kidding..._

„And I patted you on the head like some freaking middleschooler."

She didn't exactly know why she did that. Shock, maybe. And a brilliant idea to check if his hair were real. Now that she know they were stiff and soft at the same time she couldn't stop thinking how they felt under her hand.

He seemed to remember what a moment she was reffering to, but he decided to not drive into the topic.

„The name's Karin, by the way."

„I know who you are."

She had some idea from where. „So when did you and the Madhatter had time to gossip about me?"

Hitsugaya Toshiro furrowed his perfect white brows in confusion. Then shighed, shaking his head in defeat. „Matsumoto would have been too delighted to hear this."

She wasn't sure what to mean by that, but she didn't care at all. If she was to figure him out, she'd have to focus on important details.

„What exactly did he told you?"

„Better question is wheter what he did tell me was the truth. Half-truths are his speciality of the sort. I'd like to confirm everything by myself, if that's possible."

With each word, he was stepping closer, inch by inch. When he was standing before her she felt his strong presence take over. Everything in his small frame screamed 'captain'. The way he moved, slowly, graciously. Cold energy vibrated through the air, sending involuntary shivers down her spine every time he spoke.

The one thing that irrated her was his autoritive voice. He had no right to comand her, however polite he was about it, his tone suggested he wouldn't take no for an answer. But she wasn't his soldier.

„Everyone can tell half-truths, so how can I be sure you're the one worth my trust?"

He crossed his arms, his frown still at its place. He hummed, „You're right."

They heard loud crash coming from the inside. They looked at each other suprised, then at the source of the noise. They heard Jinta's not-appropriate curses through the thin shouji door.

Hitsugaya sighed.

Karin kinda panicked. She thought he was about to leave just like that, giving her no chanve to have her answers, to even ask. That kind of chance was one on a million - meeting and _actually talking_ _to_ a shinigami. To the one with a captain status no less. She grabbed his hand in her own, not letting him go.

She usually mentally slapped herself every time she was loosing her composure. She didn't want to let anyone see her crack. To realise she wasn't all that cool and unbothered by anything like everyone used to think. And what came from her mouth wasn't cool at all. More of a heated, desperate plead, „I'll answer your questions, in exchange you'll have to answer mines. Just the truth."

His eyes widened, when he looked down at their entwined hands, then back at her. He raised his eyebrows, some sort of slient question. When he didn't see a hint of doubt or mocking he nodded, turning around from her.

„Let me just grab my gigai."

She let his hand go, leaving a hint of frosting gracing her fingertips. He closed the door behind him. But she paid it no mind, trying to keep the leftovers of her composure and forget the feeling of his hand in hers. Usually she wasn't the type of a girl to think about some stupid shit like guy's hands. This particular guy was diffrent. His hands were probably as cold as the death herself.

* * *

He smoothed his black long-sleeved shirt and decided he looked rather ridiculus in those dark ripped jeans Matsumoto has picked for his gigai. That's the punishment for trusting her in fashion choices aparently.

The noises fade down in the hallway, when he entered it. From the corner of his eyes he saw the boy with red hair, Jinta, hanging upside down with limbs tied with a rope. He had something in his mouth that looked like an old dirty sock, but Hitsugaya didn't dwell on that. It wasn't his business what they were doing and he didn't even wanted to know.

„Captain Hitsugaya!" Abarai's voice rang at the end of the hall. He appeared beside him.

„Done for today with the Hatter?" Hitsugaya asked, his mind somewhre else.

Renji scratched his head with a nervous laugh. „You could say that. We checked some things up and it turned out you were right, captain."

He stopped midstep. „I was?" He really really hoped he wouldn't be.

„Yes, you were. It's amazing, captain." He said with a bit exaggerated admiration in his voice, for Hitsugaya's liking. „It's like you said. Hollows are trying to get whatever spiritual energy has left in Karakura. But if they didn't have many souls to eat, they try to snatch some of the people with high spiritual level. It's like on of those things that only happen in textbooks. I had never thought it was possible."

„You'll live long enough to see everything that world prepared for you, Abarai." Hitsugaya sighed. „Just hope you'll be prepared."

„I'll try my best, sir. But what are we gonna do about that? We can't just earese all the spiritual energy from the town."

„But we can hide it." He muttered to himself.

„What was that, sir?"

„Just a thought, Abarai. I need to think about it, I'll tell you when you all get back from your patrols. You can go now."

Renji nodded as a goodbye. He opened the front door only to see the black haired girl staring at him expectantly. Well, Hitsugaya knew she actually was staring at him, but didn't bother to correct his subordinate. They both watched as she shoved her phone down her bag.

„Finally. I thought you were dead." She said with an amused snort.

Renji looked around suprised and then pointed with thumb to himself. Karin made an expression as if she wanted to roll her eyes, but decided against it.

Renji coughed in his fist, standing before her. „I believe we haven't been introduced, Miss..."

„Karin." She said simply, shaking his hand.

„Abarai Renji at your service. And what little miss like you want from a guy like me?"

„Nothing, actually." She raised her eyebrows and looked beside him at the porch, where the captain was standing. „I was waiting for him. And he'll be dead – well, _more_ dead in a second, if he ask me to wait for his cold ass any longer."

To say Renji was suprised was and understatement. Hitsugaya instantly caught up that miscievious glint in her eyes. She was messing the red head, but at Toshiro's expense. He needed to stop it, and soon, before it go too far. In the best case, his subordinate will who-knows-what about Hitsugaya. In the wors case, he'll tell everyone Hitsugaya's hanging out with some teenage girls.

„I told you I'll take my gigai and be right back." Hell, he sounded way too civil, even to his own ears. When he became so intimate with the girl?

„Well, you never told me it takes so much time. I thought you were just gonna grab a jacket or something. _Not_ grab a substitute body or anything."

Oh no, she won't be critisizing him in the presence of his own subordinate. Didn't she know when to shut up? „Exuse me for not telling you how long it takes to find an artificial body in this messy place, then."

They both realised how it looked like and felt silent again. Taking the non existent hint, Renji stuttered something like, „Ugh, sorry, I didn't want... I didn't meant to interupt... anything. So... I should just... go. Yeah, I'll go, I have work to do. _Lots_ of work."

He nodded to himself, but before he shunpoed away, one last time he turned to Karin, with a slight smirk. „Look after our captain, will ya? Hmm, I did met you somewhere before, didn't I?"

She frowned. „I don't think so."

He shrugged and the other second he was gone.

„What was that about?"

Hitsugaya felt the need to change the topic. „I wouldn't be suprised, if you two met before or at least he saw you somewhere–"

„That'd be creepy. Why?" She sounded curious.

„I think he's one of Kurosaki's best friends."

Her eyes widened, her shoulders stiffened just for him to notice the change.

Just as he thought. It was about Kurosaki after all. He couldn't take his thoughts away of her black orbs shinning with sheer determination. Like it was all about more than answering some questions. He confirmed his suspicions. She just wanted to know more about her older brother. He didn't know if he like how much the human girl knew about shinigamis, but it made perfect sense.

„You know my brother, then?" She asked with so much hope that reminded him of when he was a child in Rukogai. Of the times when he was asking his grandma, when Hinamori will come back.

He remembered that chlidish feeling of abandon by the closest person he had to a sibling. It was about that time she went to Shinigami Academy. Oh, and that constant guit that maybe it was his fault, maybe he did something wrong, so she left him. But most of all, he remembered how he strived for power, for knowledge to catch up with her. So he'd never feel abandoned by her again.

And there was Karin, staring at him with those doey eyes and he had to remind himself he didn't deserve that hope. He wasn't going to tell her anything usuful. Only what she needed to know about her brother, but even that didn't seem fair. He wasn't Kurosaki and she clearly was missing him. He wasn't going to be the substitute for her brother. He wasn't goind to be anything to her.

Hell, he shouldn't be talking to her in the first place.

* * *

**Finaly, chapter 5! Review, my friends, review., Reviews are always appreciated. Even if I'll be 90 years old, I still want your reviews. I want to know what you think of that chapter. **

**Are the characters OOC or good?**

** Are the plot interesting? **

**Do you want to have more romance or I can focus more on history?**

**Tell me**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm quick, huh? **

**Hope you enjoy today's chapter. And please know I don't own Bleach. I keep dreaming anyway.**

**In this chapter we have some of Karin's history. How she changed and why she isn't playing soccer anymore. But no spoilers, you'll see when you read.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

* * *

Karin frowned in confusion. „Why are we going to the park?"

„I need to check something out.", Hitsugaya answered, as if that explained everything.

She wasn't so pleased with the idea. Her friends got a soccer training around two and if they'd see her with a white haired guy... She didn't want to even think about it. Yuzu and dad probably would know about it in max three hours. The last thing she wanted was to lie to her family. Because she couldn't tell them about the whole shinigami business, could she?

She just had to avoid the soccer field. Piece of cake.

„You have some questions, I have some questions... So who'd go first?" She asked, when they weren't surrounded by people.

„We aren't playing a game." He reminded her, but when she started to open her mouth again, he changed his mind. „Tell me about your headaches."

Weird question, but again, the Madhatter probably told him everything already.

„I don't know what you want to know. There's not much to tell." She began, shifting her bag on her shoulder uncomfortably. „I got them since I can remember. A side effect of seeing annoying spirits, I guess." He just hummed in answer. „You should know I'm not usually such a wimp, but since some time ago it's just gotten worse."

He looked her dead in the eyes. „Define worse."

She scratched the back of her neck. „I don't know, like, you're brain's teared to shredds. But that's just for a moment," She added quickly, seeing his suprised expression. „When a Hollow is nearby. It's gone as long as I'm far enough from it. But I have a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

„I noticed."

Karin snorted. „You don't know the half of it. So, my turn. Do you know where my brother is right now?"

Hitsugaya noted absently, mind seemed to somwhere else. He considered for a moment whether to tell her the whole truth, and then decided for the least complicated answer. „He's in the Soul Society. It's–"

„I know what Soul Society is, more or less. When he's coming back?"

„Soon." Was all he said, not giving her much hope, but enough to wait a little longer for her brother.

He noticed her hands turning into fists, lips becoming a thin line. She didn't say anything, just nodded. Ichi-ni was just the type, not dependent to anyone, defining his own paths. And it wasn't Hitsugaya's fault that he didn't know much. Probably didn't even care enough to find out. She got it.

They didn't talk much about their private lives, just answering question in the shortest way possible. Karin tried to figure him out. She thought briefly how good he looked in normal clothes, but still she could guess he was a lot older than her. She noticed how his eyes drifted every time he saw something suspicious. How he tenced, when some kids two feet away talked thrash about his hair. She couldn't guess what he was thinking about, when he furrowed his brow.

There was also that one time, when he catched a freesbee flying straight into his face with one hand, not even looking in that direction. Karin's jaw dropped to the ground. With his beastly reflexes he'd be an awesome soccer player, she decided.

She forgot how close they were to the soccer field a little too late. Four boys was running in their direction, yelling and grining like idiots. When they surrounded her and Hitsugaya, she didn't have a chance to run away.

„Dammit." She muttered under her breath. Hitsugaya's brow rose in question. She shook her head.

„We were thinking you never show up, Kurosaki!" Heita Toujoin said. He was a boy with a a serious-like expression, big eyebrows and a hairstyle in which the edges were pointy. He always viewed Karin as their leader.

„If you'll stand us up again, I'll kick your ass." Ryohei Toba with short black hair on the sides and long, blonde hair on the top of his head crossed his arms, scowling at her.

Karin snorted, puffing her chest out. They gotta know who's the boss, otherwise they'd know something's not good going on with her. „Like you'd stand a chance, prick."

Rather than be offended, he gave her a ball, saying, „Oh yeah? You and me, now. Let's see who's better."

She frowned at the ball. It felt strangely nostalgic. She didn't remembered the last time she played. How long it have been?

„What, Kurosaki? Chickening out already?" Kei Uehara, the boy with afro and full lips teased. „When you were doing your girly stuff, we trained hard. Are you're scared we're better now?"

„Besides you're a girl." Kazuya Usaka added, correcting his glasses.

She finally remembered why she didn't hang out with them anymore. When she grew up a little, they started to see her as only boobs and ass. That was so annoying. She had enough of those perverts in school, looking for an ocassion to glance at her cleavage.

Being a girl had nothing to do with them being arrogant pricks. But she'd gladly show them what 'playing like a girl' meant in her dictionary.

She felt Hitsugaya tense beside her. He was so quiet she forgot about him. She saw his jaw tightening, brows furrowed at the four boys.

Well, she guessed he didn't like being around human teenagers, who acted like pricks no less. „It's okay if I go?" She asked to make sure he was okay with it. „It won't take long, then we can continue what we were doing, before those pricks interrupted."

She hoped he'd said no – it'd be enough of an exuse to go the hell outta there. But with strange glint in his turquise eyes, he only nodded stiffly and said, „Whatever you decide it's good with me."

„So you'll wait for me or...?"

„Yeah." He rasped, not taking his eyes off of the boys.

Then, the four backed off two feet away and started to whispering in a tight circle. Karin started to think they really finaly lost it. They acted exactly like four or five years ago, like a bunch of kids. Was she the only one who matured?

When they came back, they looked nervous. Ryohei asked first, pointing a thumb in Hitsugaya's direction, „So he's your boyfriend, yeah? That's why you don't play with us anymore?"

_I don't play with you, because even now you can't stop staring at my short skirt, you dumbass._

„Actually, he's..."

„Does he even know how to play soccer?" Kei Ueheara said, eeying white haired boy with doubt. „He's a pretty boy, Kurosaki. Why do you like him anyway, if he can't play? For me he looks like he's spending his free time at hairdresser's or doing his mani-pedi."

_Like you're the one to talk_, she thought furious.

„And his hair look kinda fake."

Karin had enough. One thing when they talk shit about her, because she knew them her whole life. But throwing shit at Hitsugaya's face... That's a whole diffrent story.

„One, those awesome hair are fucking real. I know, I checked. Two, think before you open your mouth, you fucking pricks. The guy saved my life and you talk about him as if he wasn't even here. And he's got very good ear, for your information. Besides, I never forgive you talking shit about my friends ever again, got it?"

The four boys crouched and began to apologize with their heads down, but Hitsugaya interupted them by raising his hand.

He looked irrated, but kept his composure – Karin could tell. He raised his eyebrows and said, „What's so difficult in soccer?"

_That's it_, Karin thought. That's the worst thing he could say. Now Karin didn't shirk them out of it.

"You're on, pretty boy!" Ryohei smiled.

* * *

As he said, soccer was easy. After Karin's fourth and his fifth goal, he thought about ending it. It wasn't fair anymore. The four boys were nearly falling to the ground, where he didn't even broke a sweat. Karin on the other hand seemed tired, so he decided to end it.

„Go, Toshiro!"

He nearly choked, when Karin said his first name like he won already. He passed her the ball and she raised her eyebrows.

„It's your victory." He said simply.

She grinned and with her last final blow the ball flew past the afro boy's head and ened in the goal.

The four boys stood speachless and Hitsugaya noted with a sigh that's because when Karin kicked the ball, her skirt pulled up showing a little too much thigh. He considered telling her that thirty minutes earlier, when they started a match, but decided against it. It wasn't his busness and she was old enough to know, when not to play soccer in a short skirt with a bunch of hormonal teenage boys drooling at the mere sight of her.

And the most irrating things was that only he seemed to notice. She was either so oblivious or just didn't care. Hitsugaya couldn't guess wich one.

He smirked watching Karin's awkward victory dance. He'd never understand the idea of sports, but he always liked competitions. Well, the fair ones, when he could prove his worth. This match was hardly fair, to be honest.

But Karin seemed to think otherwise, as she threw her hands on his neck.

He was taken aback, his arms stiff at his sides, his muscles tensing. He hardly deserved any graditude at all, especially not that kind. He didn't do anything special, she would won even by herself.

Karin quickly backed off, sensing his nervousness. „Thanks." She murmured, so only he could hear, her minty breath fanning his face. One last time she smiled in his direction, before turning to the boys, who called themselves her friends.

„Who's playing like a girl now?" She shouted with satisfaction. „You guys were probably lazing your asses off at the trainings. Maybe in three or four years you'll catch up to me and Toshiro. Good luck with that!"

Ignoring their whinning and protests, she turned around and walked off. Toshiro followed.

„So," She said finally, not looking him directly at the eye. „You were cool back there."

Hitsugaya found it funny she was using the world 'cool' to desribe a captain with ice powers.

„Hardly. You could've won without me."

She snorted. „Probably. It's easy to win, when their staring at your ass half the time." His adam's apple bobbled involuntary. So she knew it all along. „That's why I don't hang out with them anymore. I don't know when they became such douchebags. And sorry for what they said about you."

Huh, he almost forgot about that. „It wasn't your fault. Like you said, you can't control what they're saying."

„Yeah. But knowing them all your life does things to your brain. It was funny, when we were younger, but now... they didn't change. They don't want to change, you know?"

„I know." He assured grimly. Oh, how he knew what it felt like to have your close friend, who don't want to change her beliefs about something, even if her life depended on it.

Karin cleared her throat, feeling him tense again. He did that a lot, she noticed. „So how come you're so good at soccer, if you never played it?"

„I never said I didn't played it. In Seiretei we have this game, which resembles your soccer. The rules are basically the same."

„So you play a lot in that game, then?"

He shook his head, a small smile on his lips. „Never."

Her eyes went wide. „Who are you, golden boy? Knowing how to play soccer without even playing it?"

With a sudden surge of arrogance, he shrugged nonchalantly, saying, „A gift."

Karin laughed, holding on his shoulder. With the corner of his eyes, he saw her smile long after she stopped laughing. He smirked satisfied to himself.

Even after she waved him goodbye, her laugh was still ringing in his ears.

Maybe it was a good decision, after all. To talk to her. At least for a while he could enjoy the World of the Living as Matsumoto suggested. Even their little enqounter with Karin's childhood friends wasn't that bad. He enjoyed it when Karin was ready to beat the shit out of them for insulting him. And she even hugged him – something that still bothered him for no reason.

But then again, he was supossed to focus on a mssion and Karin clearly was a part of it. How could he forget that even for a second? He won't make this mistake again.

* * *

**I always wondered why Hitsugaya never corrected Karin and her friends in calling him by his first name in that episode. I guess when no one (meaning: other shinigami) could hear it, he liked when Hinamori called him Shiro-chan and Karin - Toshiro. Just my thoughts. What do you think?**

**If you have some thoughts on this chapter or the whole story, review anytime you want. I'd like some good reviews, especially because I don't know if you all liked the path this story took. **

**Speciall thanks goes to _Sakura Chara_. Her review motivated me to end this chapter and post it today. Thanks again ^.^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally, we're starting the revolution. By smol smol steps. Karin makes a decision. And you'll now some history. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

* * *

Karin was absent-minded during breakfast. Even if Yuzu noticed, she didn't comment on it, trying to fill the silence by rambling about Midoriko-chan and her terrible taste in boys.

Karin lost her focus in first part, but still manage to smile and nod in the right moments.

The problem was that Karin couldn't stop thinking about her father–about lack of him, actually. When she and Toshiro parted, she was in a good mood. And that meant something, because she wasn't in a good mood God-knows how long. She even spent her way back smirking to herself, like some freaking girly girl, pretending not to feel that stupid sensation in her stomach after joking with the cool shinigami guy, who she wasn't supossed to find cool. Or like no less. But she always seemed to be drawn to bad things. Bad dead things.

What she didn't expect after passing the threshold of front door with stupid grin on her face was to find Yuzu on the couch, quietly sobbing in her favourite pillow with strawberry pattern. That's when her good mood went to shit.

She threw away her school bag and sat on the edge of the couch, placing a hand of her sister's hip in comfort. She looked startled for a moment, then wiped off the tears, giving Karin her best cheerful smile. Karin didn't ask, she didn't have to.

That stupid Goatee. The nerve of him! He didn't came back home and Yuzu had to ate dinner by herself. But he _promised_ he'd be there, after Karin stated she'd spent afternoon with friends. Of course, Yuzu wasn't a kind, she could eat alone, but again, she instantly became worried, if they didn't give some sort of a sign that they're still alive.

And her stupid father to ignore the one Kurosaki rule they all agreed to, and disapeared a lot lately, not giving a sign of life for a a whole day.

Where he was, what he was doing–he'd never tell. This 'just work', as he called it, started to get really troublesome. She will talk with him about that as soon as he come back, knowing Yuzu never will.

At that Karin wasn't sleeping well. The nights after headaches always were the worst, slight memory of pain always seeping to her dreams. But she realised lately, it wasn't only it. The more she knew about a shinigami world, the more dreams became nightmares. She never remembered what they were, but they weren't so bad to wake her up in the middle of the night with a heartbeat like humming-bird's.

She was glad this night it happened, though. After she splashed the water in her face in the bathroom, she realised no one was home, beside her and Yuzu.

Before breakfast she aksed her sister, „Where's Goatee?"

„Oh, he left before you woke up."

_Liar. He never came back._

Karin walked Yuzu to school, but stopped at the front gate. She said she had to buy something before the start of the lesson and discreetly order Midoriko Tono, Yuzu's best friend, to better keep her in a good mood, or else. The short girl gulped and nodded, afriad of the bossy-Karin like she used to, when they were younger.

After Karin made sure Yuzu was okay, she run. There is this thing about running–when you do, you don't think, you fall on auto-pilot, just enjoy the exercise and the freedom that goes with it. She didn't think, where she would go, she just fell on instinct. That's why she was suprised to find herself, panting, ready to faint from excaution, looking at the sign of Urahara's shop.

When the man became the person she most trusted after her family? Hell, the person she most trusted _after Yuzu_. While she still stubbornly called him the Madhatter, not acknowledging the growing fondness, he became one of the most stable things in her life–the one who was always there, ready to help. She needed no one's help, most of the time, but it felt good knowing she could count on him anytime. His shop wasn't her home, but it felt like it, felt... homey, in a way. The kind of homey, when everybody knew each other and always together, no matter if fighting, smiling, teasing or laughing.

Karin always kinda felt like she wasn't fitting in. And Urahara kept all the strays together in one big weird family. That's why they got along so good.

She saw the man himself opening the shouji door just the crack for her to see him sitting. „Are you coming in?"

She let out a breath. „Yeah."

„If you want to talk about anything that is bothering you.." He started, rather seriously, though she couldn't see behind his fan. She quickly interrupted, shaking her head. The one last thing she wanted was to talk.

He snaped his fan and grined widely. „Well, Tessai-san made some fantastic chocolate chip cookies. Heaven on a tongue, I swear. You'll love it!"

Those cookies were as good as the Madhatter said.

* * *

He was nearly as suprised to find Karin bantering with Jinta as he thought he would be to see her at all. He still couldn't grasp the fact maybe it was normal to them to have her at the dinner. Who he was to complain? He wasn't complaining at all– in fact he didn't even acknowledged her presence, as he walked by, praying she didn't see him.

She did. But to his relief, she didn't say a word. Which was strange. It bothered him for no reason, because he shouldn't be thinking about her at all. From the brief glance, he saw she wore her uniform and thought that maybe she wasn't skipping school, maybe it was some other reason she wore it so early in the morning. But what got him the most was her face–full of something he couldn't indetify. Maybe sadness deep in her black orbs, maybe it wasn't that at all.

He wasn't going to get involved in somethinf that wasn't his business.

She found him an hour later, when he was enjoying his quiet time and tea. She sat across from him and said, „What's up?"

He frowned. „'What's up'?", he repeated to make sure. He's trying his best to ignore her spiritual power and the fact that she's still here, and she does something like this. She says 'what's up'.

„Yeah." She scratched her neck. „Don't make this more awkward."

„If I knew what 'this' is, I wouldn't." He realy didn't want to know what 'this' was.

„Yeah, well," She breathed uncertainly–a quality he didn't know she posessed. „You have a job. I should go."

When she got up, he stopped her with his next words, „I didn't said you should."

„Can I stay, then?" she actually asked. Another strange thing.

„I have a break from the job, now. I'd enjoy your company, while I'm drinking the tea."

She hummed. He sighed. He sipped his tea and she wasn't taking her eyes off of him.

Finally, she felt the need to explain herself. „There's a new client. Urahara and the rest are busy. I moved out of the way."

„So, you felt the need to join me, because I was the only available person." He finished.

„Tell me about soul burials." She said sudenly. „Or your powers. Or something else. Tell me about the shinigami stuff."

He told her about his zanpaktou, soul burials, how dead people's souls became mosters. He even explained her the Hollowfication pocess, step by step. Everything to keep her mind from whatever problem she had.

In exchange she told him little things about herself, like a parrot incident, her mother death or more recent topics–like her always happy sister. They laughed about how she should be at school and was hanging out in Urahara's shop with Hitsugaya, of all people she could choose. She wasn't good with words, so she kept everything short and simple, just like him. He didn't bring his opinions about anything, just said that he had a Grandma in Rukongai that he planned to visit, never mentioning that she was one of the few – three, maybe fourth – people that new about it.

They never commented anything, just kept spilling short secrets about their lives, to the point when the client and his tea in the mug were long gone.

He was always good at figuring people out, it was part his job as a captain. He didn't neet to ask Karin to see that somethin was bothering her. The ones, who didn't know her well and ignorants wouldn't see it in her expression, Hitsugaya saw how worried she was about something. Her eyes drifting away, her brows furrowed, this distant note in her voice. Most people would say it's because she didn't sleep well last night, but he knew better.

She didn't look for comfort or advise. She made a decision, coming to Urahara, so she probably wanted something from him. Something she was uncertain about. She made it clear.

„Whatever that is bothering you can be solved by a conversation with the right person. I don't think you wanted to talk to me. You're delaying the inevitable."

„I know." She stated with determination. „I know."

* * *

She needed Toshiro to figure it out. Okay, she was stubborn sometimes... More often than not. But she always relied on herself, carrying problems on her shoulders, like Ichigo did.

But she wasn't Ichigo. She didn't have normal friends she could talk to about anything, she didn't have powers to save the freaking universe–or even her family. She said she wanted to protect her brother, but she was no match for him.

God, how she hated being helpless.

But Urahara's offer standed still, he reminder her of it from time to time, but she always refused, saying she got it. Well, not she didn't got it at all with Ichigo in Soul Society, Isshin being who the fuck knows where and Yuzu pretending it's all okay.

„Urahara-san?" She asked, stepping into the room, when Madhatter was standing beside Tessai.

„Yes, Kurosaki-san? What can I help you with?"

„Remember what you told me, when we first met?"

„When you called me a perverted creep lurking in the shadows and following you around, while being in my own shop? Ah, good old times. What about it?

„Why did you bother?"

„You have a potential, I told you many times."

„To what?"

„To fight, to protect... But you couldn't bear this burden by yourself. That's why I helped you. So you wouldn't be alone even again."

„So you can... do something for me?" Oh, how hard it was to swallow her pride and ask for help.

„Anything, really."

„Find my father." She got a strange feeling Urahara knew Goatee well. „And teach me how to fight, so I can kick his ass, when he finally comes back. And Ichi-ni's, too."

* * *

**I felt the need to explain some things in this chapter - some major things that have a big influence in the further story.**

**I've always liked the scenes with Kurosaki family or moments, when the three talked about Ichigo - how worried they were in their own ways. Yuzu is delicate one, so she openly shows her feelings, while Karin got shits done and hide her feelings by the tone of sarcasm (which I love, sarcasm is the best), but she deep down is worried, too.**

**But in the manga or anime they didn't explain how the sisters are feeling about Isshin doing some secret probably illegal shit and he's gone for days. Because I don't think they knew he's cooking some reiatsu soup for Ichigo with Urahara. That's just my take how they would feel - Yuzu quietly worrying, while Karin is done with this shit.**

**In this story, though, Isshin is doing some secret porbably illegal shit, because he's some secretive shit no one can figure out. In this story he's doing something enirely diffrent than meeting with Urahara (who would himself kick Isshin's ass for worrying his daughters) and no one knows what he's doing.**

**AND I HAVE SOME THEORY how Karin found out about Urahara. One day she followed Isshin and found how he and strange man in the hat disapeared inside the building. She was going to get back, when Jinta and Ururu found her, lurking in the shadows like some creep and staring at Urahra's shop. Jinta told her something like, "You're fucking weird. Just get your ass and get in already. Because you wan't to buy something, right?". And Karin sassed him with something snarky, but said yes in the end, thinking maybe it's just a grocery store. Ururu made her tea and was super nice, when Jinta showed her around. And when she said her name, he gawked and laughed. Because she's just like her brother.**

**By the time Urahara showed, she knew half the things she wasn't supossed to know.**

**But to this story I added that he observed her before and she noticed. That's why, when she first saw him in his own shop, she said, "That's the creep, who followed me around lately!"**

_Read and review, folks!_


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Bleach and this one chapter I feel is kinda chaotic, but I hope you get it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

She fucking knew it.

Isshin came back not long after Karin told Urahara about his little escapades. And of course he acted like nothing happened, because, she supossed, in his opinion it was nothing. And she was too tired to say anything, especially since Yuzu was happy again.

Days passed as always, Yuzu helping Goatee in the clinic, while Karin minded her own business. She was too old for that nurse uniform, anyway. It was too tight in the... chest area and too short for her liking. And she felt no need to buy a new one, like Yuzu did. Someone's gotta take the family business and Karin didn't see anything better at this place than her sister. She was born to help people and she was really good at it–something Karin unquestionably sucked at.

There was no need to visit Urahara shop. Ghosts didn't bug her anymore, which, she thought, was the perk of having bunch of shinigami patroling the city all the time. Sometimes she saw a shadow on the sky and she knew it was of Toshiro's team. She still had hard time believing he was an actuall captain, like the ones with his own subordinates that listened to his orders. His young look wasn't helping with the whole idea.

Even if she didn't needed ani-ghost supplies, she went to Urahara shop once or twice, usually after school. Telling herself it's for more info about Ichigo, but internally hoping Toshiro would be there. Talking to him became the highlight of her boring day. He, just like Madhatter, tended to change the topic, when they got to the things he shouldn't discuss with her – which was a lot of topics – but they always found the common ground and they shared stories about their friends or themselves.

But more often than not, he was out on a patrol, so her visits lasted only an hour max.

„He's out!" Jinta shouted, when she came, sparing her awkward and knowing glances from the rest of the employees.

She raised her hand in greeting and goodbye and turned around. As always she choose to bypass the park. After the last encounter with her ex-friends and their lost match to her and Toshiro, they were mad as hell.

To her suprise, she found the boy she was looking for in the viewpoint beside the park, in his gigai staring at the sky with absent eyes. She slowly approached him, careful not to interrupt his thoughts.

„You come here often?" She leaned on a metal handrail with her elbows, looking up.

He spared her a glance, humming, „Oh, it's you, Kurosaki."

„Happy to see you too, Toshiro," She loved using his first name, especially after finding out, how he didn't like it a bit, but said nothing to stop her from doing this. She guessed he was enjoying it as much as she was.

„How did you find me?"

„Well, I looked everywhere, so it was the last place you could come to." His eyes windened comically. „Nah, just kidding. It was an accident. I'm actually coming back from Urahara's."

„You spent a lot of your time there." He noticed. „Don't you have humans your age to hang around with? Or you prefer company of..." He look her in the eye. „creepy old men instead."

„'Creepy old men'? That's a good one." She chuckled. „No, it's not exactly my idea of fun, but, you know, I rather hang aroung with old men, who get what's going on than young boys, who's plain stupid."

He didn't looked amused in the slightest. „You shouldn't do it."

„Spending my time with creepy old men? Don't you think I know? My father is ten times worse in being creepy than Urahra, though. So, you see, I know how to deal with the likes."

„I wasn't talking about Urahara. I was talking about myself."

She furrowed her brows, confused. „You aren't creepy at all."

„But you like wasting your time on talking to me?"

„Sure. Why wouldn't I?"

„I can see you're growing fond of me."

She ignored the heat in her ears. „So?"

„So you should stop."

„Why?" She demanded, facing him. He did the same.

He sighed annoyed. „We aren't friends. We don't know each other."

„I know. So what? Just say it."

He was as cold and calm as always. „What I'm trying to say is, you shouldn't come to Hatter's shop or talk to a shinigami, if it isn't necessary. In this case, it wasn't and it still isn't. You're getting used to something that isn't permanent and that at any moment can disappear from your life, leaving you with hurt heart. Any of us won't be here to fix it."

„Why telling me now?"

He looked truly sad, his turquoise eyes lost their spark, his shoulders slouched. „I made a mistake."

Karin hummed, hands in fists on her hips, but calmness matching his. „I was that mistake?"

He sighed again, rubbing his forehead. „I clearly remember what happened to your brother. He might be strong, but he suffered more than any of shinigamis ever did. You don't want to be a part of that world. If you're asking me, if you were the mistake, the answer is no. The fault is all mine, in bringing you deeper into this world, not consulting it with Hatter or your brother. And if I know one thing about Kurosaki Ichigo it's that he do everything to protect his loved ones, like most of us. He wouldn't want you to suffer like he did and I won't be the one to start this path. You deserve to have a normal life."

Wow, wasn't it a little too late for that? Wasn't she too deep in this business to forget? How she could live normal life after everything that happened? Living in the bubble of ignorance, like Yuzu worrying about her missing family members doing some dangerous shit? It wasn't for her. She didn't learned it all to just throw it away, because someone wouldn't like her to know. Maybe Toshiro didn't know her at the end, because if he would, he wouldn't be saying shit like this, knowing fully well how she felt about being fucking ignorant again.

She felt the lump in her throat, swallowing loudly. She kinda knew it'd happen, sooner or later. Toshiro could say it the first day they met, but he didn't. And she was thankful for that. In those past few days with him she learned a lot more than with Urahara for past few months.

„What Urahara thinks about that?"

„You're in this situation because of him. If anything happen to you, he will be the one your family will blame. He agreed. I told him to not do anything beyond a shopkeeper's duties."

Karin snorted, this sound bitter, not amused. „Sure you did."

He nodded, leaning forward without interrupting eye conact. His eyes hard on hers, his captain state on. She couldn't see any emotion in it. „You can blame me. It's not part of my mission, but I owe Kurosaki. And protecting his sister in his absence is the best I can do. If it was him, I'm sure he'd choose a normal life, while he could."

Karin deadpaned. He really shouldn't add the last part. „I'm not my brother."

Hitsugaya frowned. „I never said you were."

She hummed, leaning back against the handrail. She crossed arms over her chest, looking down at her feet.

„Is it because I made a decision?" She asked, mostly herself. Her words bitter on her tomgue. „Urahara-san said I had a potential to fight, to protect..." She looked up, meeting those turquoise eyes with determination and a little bit of sadness. „That's why, right? Because you all think I'll end up just like my brother." She released amused sigh. „I know I won't. And you know why? Because I'm not my brother. I don't have his power to suffer of. I just want to learn how to fight. And I will, with or without your help."

„Kurosaki..." Hitsugaya breathed. He didn't expected this.

She jabbed him in the chest, much softer than she intended to. „My brother is Kurosaki. My father is Kurosaki. I'm just Karin."

He leaned beside her and looked up, while she looked at him. „You know why I like to come here? This spot is the best place to view the sky; it brings back memories."

She snorted, thankful for the change of topic, yet slightly annoyed by it. „Dude, you're like fifteen. How many memories do you have?"

He rolled his eyes and her bad attempt to lighten the mood. The phone buzzed in his pocket as he got a Denreishinki notification of a hollow nearby. He glanced at Karin, who seemed to sense nothing. He frowned.

„What?" She asked, tilling her head in confusion.

After seeing and hearing what happened each time a hollow was near, he was shocked to see she didn't feel anything. How was that possible?

„How's your headaches lately?" He asked, trying to sound casualy, but she saw past it. „Good they didn't get worse. I need to go."

Since he was the closest one to the hollow, he run off to fight it, leaving Karin dumbfounded by what he just said. Some hollow was close and she felt nothing.

Okay, she noticed something was wrong some time ago. Not only headaches seemed to get worse, but her whole head was screwing with her, sensing Hollows, when they weren't near or not sensing them at all, when they were standing three feets away. She'd feel hot one day, cold the other, in good mood or completely exausted, like she was doing a marathon she didn't remember signing up for. The only reason she didn't tell Madhatter or Toshiro about it was that she figured it out by herself, and it wasn't anything she was proud of.

In short she didn't sleep well at all, and she knew that for some time now, but the nightmares were quite new discovery.

There was in this warm night in the middle of May, a few days after the talk with Hitsugaya.

She saw only darkness. She always dreamt of complete utter darkness that was slowly lulling her to sleep. There was fireflies, or some other lights, floating around, keeping a steady rythm. She foung herself in the middle of it, darkness surrounding her, lights flickering aroung, but never touching her, like she wasn't even there.

She took a breath, slowly realising she must be dreaming already. And what a good dream it was, steady and peacful. Then she heard a laugh beside her, just a snort of amusement, just like her own that shown she was enjoying something. But a snort became a snicker and a giggle. Each one of laughs made by the same person no doubt. Just when she turned her head to the side of the giggle, she heard a snicker in the opposite direction. It went over and over again, as long as she lost all her strenght.

Soon she became annoyed that even her own dream was toying with her, she forced herself to play the game for what felt like hours, never backing up from the challenge, until she was sprawled across the darkness, limbs aching, breath hitching in her throat, listening as the voice still laughed. She closed her eyes with defeat, feeling like it was laughing at her for losing the whatever game they were playing.

When she opened them, she was still panting, every muscle of her body stiff from exertion, as if she really was trying to catch owner of the amused voice, who was just a product of her tired mind. Great, she couldn't win even in her own mind. How pathetic was that.

When the ringing in her ears didn't stop, she realised in had nothing to do with a dream and her phone was ringing. In times like that she tend to think, where's the fuck is a common sense these days? People calling her at three am and shit.

She grabbed the phone, ready to give a piece of her mind to whoever was this stupid, but she stopped, when she saw the name on the screen.

„Yuzu?" She answered in hushed tone.

Her voice was muffled by the scream, which sent shivers down her spine. She heard if from her room clearly and in the phone it sounded even more painful.

She quickly glanced at Yuzu's umade bed. Yuzu wasn't in it. At three am.

„What the fuck is going on?" She demanded.

„Karin-chan!" Yuzu sounder more peturbed by her choice of words than anything that was going on out there. „Come quickly to the clinic. And bring some clean clothes from Oni-chan's closet, if you'd be so nice."

„Hey, but what... Yuzu?" No answer. She hung up. „Shit!"

She tried not to think about every possible bad thing that could have happened, taking Ichigo's old orange t-shirt and pajama pants.

* * *

The intitial shock wore down, after a minute of seeing the blood splatered on the floor. Yuzu's white uniform and her hands in gloves were all covered in it, pressing the white material to someone's forearm. The girl had bright green hair and some sort of white and orange suit. She had tears in her eyes, Yuzu too, as she tried to calm down the girl, whispering some sort of consolations.

„Leave the clothes somewhere and help me, please." Yuzu nodded at her.

The girl opened her eyes hoody from pain, clenching her jaw, yet still manage to smile brightly. „Hi, I'm Mashiro Kuna. You're probably Karin-chan, it's sooo nice to meet you."

Karin threw the clothes at the stool nearby, mentally noting the odd girl would use them later, judging by how her own white uniform was dirty and teared to shreds, especially the sleve, which Yuzu needed to tear to be able to clean the wound.

Yuzu waved his hand for her to come closer. Which she did in a matter of seconds. Maybe she hadn't been nursing for some time, but she still knew the procedures well enough. It was the first time, when Yuzu was leading

„Where's dad?" The question came out as a suprise. She thought Isshin would be the one to call her. Yuzu always helped him in a case of emergency, so Karin had the time to be a little late, usually being the heavy sleeper.

„I'm going to get a needle. Keep her arm still."

„No problemo!" The girl interrupted cheerfuly. „I can to it for myself. But thanks anyway!"

„Sure you can."

„It's nothing, really." She insisted. „Just a scratch."

„I could tell by the screams," Karin answered dryly, pinning her arm to the bed.

Yuzu, without much chit-chat, began sewing the wound, bitting her bottom lip, mumbling from time to time, „Sorry, if it hurts. I'm trying to be gentle." The girl, Mahiro Kuna, took it suprisingly well, smiling at Yuzu, through clenched teeth and all. Then Karin cleaned her arm and gave Ichigo's clothes.

When the girl was changing, singing a cheerful song, Karin finally noticed how pale Yuzu looked. She put a hand on her shoulder and give it a hard squeeze. „You were awesome, Yu."

Yuzu looked up at her sister, tiny smile gracing her lips. „I was, wasn't I?"

„Now, if you could tell me what the hell happened, it'd be cool."

Yuzu sat on the stool, resting her the back of her head on the wall. Karin clearly saw the dark streaks under her eyes. She hopped on the edge of the bed and corssed her legs. She felt her head heavier by each minute, feeling the lack of sleep. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It showed five am.

„So I heard this loud noise on the street and it woked me up." Yuzu began quickly. „And you were asleep, and dad weren't home, so I checked it by myself. And when I opened the front door, I saw Mahiro-chan clutching her arm, and she was bleeding, and I couldn't leave her like this in the middle of the night. She kept saying she was fine, but she wasn't... And I didn't want to wake you up, but I had to..."

„It's okay, Yuzu. You did great." Karin interrupted quickly. „How did you know how to do that, though? It was some serious sewing back there."

Yuzu blinked. „I helped to patch Oni-chan one day, when he got into fight and didn't want tell dad. Am I a bad person for not telling him this?"

„Of course you're not. If Ichi-ni asked you to not say anything, it's okay. Dad doesn't need to know everything anyway."

„You have a brother!" Mahiro emerged from the small changing room and raise her hands in a V-gesture to show them her new clothes, too large for her small frame. „He must be sooo tall."

„Ichigo's like six feet or something." Karin said in thought. „Or maybe taller now."

„Like a giant!" Yuzu added.

Mahiro laughed, then her eyes widened. „I know a guy named Ichigo, too! Or something like that. Something stupid anyway. Thanks for everything, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan, I should be going now."

„Wait!" Yuzu raised her hand to stop her. „It's dangerous in the middle of the night for a girl..."

„What Yuzu meant," Karin quickly interrupted, „You have someone to pick you up? You can use the phone, if you want." She pointed her thumb at the phone hung on the wall beside the door.

„You can also stay here and wait for your friends to come."

„No need." Mahiro waved her hand dismissively. „They should be here in a–„

The door flew open. The three girl didn't have time to take a closer look at the intruder, beacuse she, a short blonde girl, came up to Mahiro with grumpy expression and smacked the back of the green haired girl with a sandal.

„Where did you wander at night, like some floozy? Lisa began to suspect that you began a strumpet career and Love bet that you're dead already! But not, I had to bring your sorry ass back home, like I had nothing better to do!"

Mahiro, instead of crying, did the opposite, she deadpaned, raising her healthy not bandaged hand up, saying, „Yo!"

The blonde girl smacked her again. „Don't 'yo' me!"

Mahiro giggled, scratching the back of her neck. „Sorry, I saw this pretty guy and I got lost, and I thought I might meet him again, but I lost him, too. I didn't realise it was that late."

„Hollows on the streets and you're chasing some losers, who you don't even know. Maybe Lisa really should give you some boys advise or something, seeing you don't know a thing about guys. At this hour there are only rapists left, you big baby."

Mahiro's eyes widened. „But, Hiyori, Lisa's always reading porn! What can she know about real boys?"

„To hell if I know!"

Karin and Yuzu visibly shocked by the whole talk, but didn't say a word, looking back and forth between the two girls.

„And what's wrong with those two? What are ya staring at, brats?"

The girl, Hiyori it seemed, was short, probably Karin's height, brown eyes and short blonde hair in spiky pigtails with her bangs clipped together by three clips. She had on herself a white shirt and a red jogging suit with white lines running down from the shoulders. One yellow flip flop on her foor, the other in hand, raised in threatening manner.

Yuzu was terrified, Karin quickly clenched fists, ready to fight, before Mahiro jumped between the two.

„They're Carrot-top's sisters, you know. What a coincidence, right?"

„Ichigo?" Hiyori glared at the two sisters, before snorting. „Not very much alike, but why the shit we should care anyway? He dumped us for those weirdos in black kimonos after the training. Forget the guy, Mashiro and get your shit together. One cute guy with a hollow mask and you're already loosing your head."

„Exuse me," Yuzu raised her hand, glancing nervously at the blonde, until she turned to Mashiro. „You should get this arm checked in two weeks. And someone should help you with changing bandaged and cleaning the wound."

Mashiro smiled amused, like she knew a joke only she could understand. „My friend's a medic. He'd know what to do."

„What's up with your hand?" Hiyori only now seemed to notice. „Are you involved with some weird shit again? I told you not to beat up strangers."

„Look who's talking." Mashiro murmured.

Hiyori growled in her direction and raised a sandal in thread. „Ya said something?"

The girl shook her head. „Guess we're be going now. It was nice to meet you two. You're just like your brother."

Yuzu nodded. „Oni-chan is so popular, isn't he? Everyone know him."

„Yeah." And hang out with him more than us these days, Karin added in her mind.

Hiyori looked at Karin suspiciously, while Karin did the same. Then the black haired girl said to her sister. „Hey, Yu, why don't you walk Mashiro-chan to the door. I wanna talk with her friend for a second."

Yuzu furrowed her brow in worry, but Mashiro linked their elbows and began talking about something funny. „Whaddya want from me?"

„Karin." She said instincively.

„Don't care." The girl jabbed, annoyed. „Say what you want to say and we're out."

Karin swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. „What training?"

Hiyori's eyebrows rose. „What?"

„You mentioned Ichi-ni's training earlier. What kind of training was that?"

The girls grin was dashing, her eyes still quite threatening. „Why? Interested?"

„Maybe."

Hiyori snorted and then thinking for a moment, mumbled, mostly to herself, „Good genes and a potential. It might work out, we need some cash right now." Then she threw her arm over Karin's shoulder. „We could be BFF's, you know. You and me. You're, like, super quiet, small and angry, but it'll do. I see the possibilites. It's one of my most awesome traits. I'm all awesome anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

„I don't get what are you trying to say."

Hiyori clicked her tongue. „Quite dense, but it can be fixed. Good you're not like you're stupid ass brother. He's a lost case. Stronger he gets, dumber he gets... Some famous guy said that once, I believe."

With that, she turned around and walked away, not sparing them a goodbye, not acknowledging Yuzu's presence at all.

When she turned around, Karin noticed she carried a sword over her back. The weapon resembling the ones shinigamis had. She said she hates them, yet still she had something like this.

Mashiro waved them goodbye and said to Hiyori, „Okay. So, what did you have for dinner when I was gone?"

„Pizza."

„I thought we didn't have money to order anything. And you guys had pizza! Without me!"

„Sure, we celebrated, because we heard one of the black weirdos had his way with a Menos and barely maked it. That's who Soul Society send to fight these days..."

* * *

**I have some things to tell you.**

**1) You see, _Kaito1412_? This long chapter is for you.**

**2) We all know Karin wants to get stronger, but I feel like Toshiro (the stubborn ass he is) wouldn't want Karin to train with Urahra (because he knows her brother wouldn't approve and he himself is a little bit... Eh, sorry, A LOT PROTECTIVE SOMETIMES). But I don't think Karin would just quit wanting to protect, so she have to find another way to prove herself. Shinigami don't want to teach her how to fight? Okay, she'll find another way. That's just how she is.**

**3) Visored weren't my first choice, but it sorta came suddenly, because I read a post on a tumblr Bleach Lists called '10 reasons why Karin and Hiyori should be best friends' or something like that, and it dawned on me. They are perfect for each other, there's no other way to desribe it. And Hiyori isn't so chivalrous about the whole human with a burden thing, so she'd traing Karin for money or something and it'd be awesome.**

**4) Just wait for the Hiyori=Karin=Hitsugaya interactions *muahaha***

**5) I made Yuzu badass motherfucker, because I could. She deserves some credit for dealing with all those shitheads in her family that want to protect her. She can protect others just fine, thank you very much. She's just not really into physical stuff. Anywho, my Yuzu is a BAMF, sue me.**

**6) Hope you get what's going on.**

**Have some advise, feel free to pm me or say it in comment. I am to please. And comment anyway, even if you don't have anything too say. Comments are my life.**

**\- Kogeki**


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